The Reds boss has been under pressure for much of the last six months.

Results haven’t exactly offered him much respite, and neither have performances.

People are making out matters are pretty disastrous but Rodgers has pointed out to the fact we stand only five points off the top of the table.

Indeed, we’re only two points off the Champions League qualification places.

But then there’s other evidence to filter in, not least the amount of money we have spent on the squad, not least during the summer.

If Everton win and go four points clear of Liverpool, then it doesn’t become a crisis but it heaps even more pressure on the manager – not least given, with an international break to follow, we’ll have two weeks to mull over the result.

I read somewhere this week that I’d said that Rodgers is facing the sack. I’ve never said that. I’ve just pointed out he is under massive pressure.

That pressure was lessened after the win over Aston Villa, but come 10pm on Thursday it was back on the Reds boss after failing to beat a very average Europa League side.

James Milner and Lucas Leiva celebrate the narrow win over Aston Villa last weekend

To be honest, it doesn’t matter how Liverpool play at Goodison.

Playing well and losing will mean nothing. At the moment, it’s all about the result.

We haven’t shown ourselves capable of playing well over a 90-minute period and that isn’t something that goes away overnight. And it says much about the players at our disposal.

If we beat Everton, then it will be two Premier League wins on the bounce and it will change things.

That’s just the world we live in, one with instant judgements and gratification.

Whenever the derby comes around, I’m often asked for a joint team containing the best players from either side.

And for the first time in a long time, I’d have more Everton players included than Liverpool ones from those available.

I don’t know what team will turn up at Goodison.

By that, I don’t mean the starting XI – that effectively picks itself.

Instead, I’m not sure whether we’ll be competitive. The worry for Rodgers is that he doesn’t know either.

Reds keep setting posers - and it's time for some leaders

Liverpool remain a team that yields more questions than answers.

Our recent form underlines that point.

Against Norwich City, we played well and had chances to win it, and there was a cautious sense of optimism.

Then came the win over Aston Villa which was a decent three points and proved we could actually see out a game.

But on Thursday we were absolutely average against a hardly great Sion side.

It's very difficult to know where Liverpool will finish this season.

Daniel Sturridge made a huge difference against Aston Villa

If you could guarantee Daniel Sturridge was available from now until the end of the season, I would say we could definitely finish in the top five.

You saw last week what a difference he makes with his goals against Aston Villa.

But it's a big if to expect Sturridge to be avoid any further serious injury in the next seven months.

Much has been made of the fact this will be the first derby since the 1986 FA Cup final – a game in which I played – where there will be no Merseyside-born players in the Liverpool starting line-up.

If we had four of five strong characters or leaders in the team, then I wouldn't be so worried.

However, I don't think we have that. We have a lot of good players who can just look after themselves.

That's not a criticism. That's just how some players are.

Yet with Steven Gerrard gone, it's time others started to stand up and be counted.

Our defence will decide this derby

For as long as I can remember, midfield has always been the key battleground in the derby.

This time, though, I suspect it’s defence that will determine the outcome.

And, more specifically, Liverpool’s defence.

Playing three at the back is the best way for us to go at present, simply because we have players who can produce at wing-backs.

We don’t have a left-back, though.

And I’ll always insist it didn’t make any sense for us not to buy one during the summer.

Romelu Lukaku will ensure Emre Can has a busy afternoon

We ended up throwing an 18-year-old Joe Gomez in at left-back at the start of the season, while Alberto Moreno is a lot better going forward than defending – even if he isn’t massively brilliant in attack.

As a centre-back, if you are one of a three, then you often end up only marking one striker between you and the other two spare defenders are often left wondering what to do.

If you are Romelu Lukaku, you’ll pick one of Mamadou Sakho, Martin Skrtel or Emre Can and just target them.

For the other two players – more a problem for the less tactically-adaptable Sakho and Skrtel then Can – the issue is then were to play.

I can’t see the derby being an end-to-end encounter as neither side will want to lose.

It’ll be crucial for the three defenders to construct a formidable barrier that can give Liverpool something to build from.

You always fancy Daniel Sturridge to grab a goal while Danny Ings would chase a paper bag in the park if it was windy.

But the strike duo need to be given hope by those behind them.

Europa not a problem - for now

There were some boos at full-time at Anfield on Thursday. And while the result wasn't the best, I'm not that concerned over their progress.

The two teams they have played have been extremely ordinary. And if Liverpool need a victory, Rodgers always has the fallback of picking a first-choice team.

'It's okay lads, I've got this one...'

Just don't do an Arsene Wenger by not picking your best team in a game when you realistically need to win. Look at what happened to Arsenal in the Champions League last week.